Please don't misunderstand. McKnight was neither depressed past consolation nor irreversibly down on his Red Knights following Friday night's season-opening, 35-7 loss to visiting York High at Shirk Stadium.

Quite the contrary.

So confident was McKnight in his kids and his coaches that he was relying on them to collectively catch him, to break his fall before his Reading High career splattered against the pavement below.

"I told my kids this and I want you to print this," McKnight said, mid-leap. "I guarantee we'll be in the district playoffs on Week 11. And if we're not, I'm going to resign. And I'm not going to be resigning. So I guarantee it."

In the immediate aftermath of Friday's smack-down, McKnight's remark might read as more batty than brash.

Led by athletic junior quarterback Kelvin Parker, York outgained Reading High by 236 yards (352-116), outrushed it by 159 (233-74) and held the Red Knights without an offensive touchdown; Reading's lone score came on Denny Nazario's fourth-quarter fumble recovery in York's end zone.

Parker ran for 67 yards and two TDs, passed for 119 yards and one TD, and repeatedly ran past or around a relatively experienced Red Knights defense expected to be a strength.

The supposedly rebuilding Bearcats simply outmaneuvered the supposedly resurgent Red Knights at every crucial turn, seemingly making all the big plays while Reading made all the mistakes.

Quarterback Freddy Pena threw a pick to thwart a promising opening drive. A muffed punt snap pinned the Red Knights defense to its 12-yard line, leading to York's first TD. A play after Reading got a big break by recovering a botched kickoff reception to start the second half, Pena threw away a pitch-out. Missed gaps on blitzes. Missed blocks on counters.